Posts Tagged ‘Practice’

The researchers sought to demonstrate that upper cervical specific adjustments would have a positive effect on the physiology, serology and immunology of HIV positive individuals.

Tests were performed on the patients by an independent medical center. The CD4 counts in the regular group were dramatically increased over the counts of the control group. A 48% increase in CD4 cells was demonstrated over the six month duration of the study for the adjusted group.

A small randomised, controlled clinical trial was carried out on two patient groups, each with 5 patients. The regular adjusted group was given upper cervical adjustments to the atlas using the Laney instrument, and for the control group a placebo adjustment was carried out by placing the stylus on the patients’ mastoid process with the instrument emitting no force.

The results are quite remarkable. In summary, the control group experienced a 7.96% decrease in CD4 cell levels and the adjusted group experienced a 48% increase in CD4 cell levels. It would be desirable to carry out follow up studies with far larger groups in an attempt to establish both a link between the nervous system, immune system and upper cervical region.

Super Healthy Tip…

I have seen a diverse number of research papers and case studies over the years which consistently illustrate improvements in immune function when chiropractic adjustments are received. My fairly black and white brain looks at it this way – chiropractic adjustments kick start the immune system. In my own practice if someone rings to cancel their appointment because they’ve “got the flu” – we try to insist that they keep their appointment – and repeatedly we have seen much quicker recoveries in the people who keep their appointments, than the ones who we are still ringing two weeks later to see if they are up to an appointment yet.

But how can this be – someone adjusting your spinal column – improving your immunity?

Consider the following:

Your spinal column houses your central nervous system

Direct nerve connections to immune system tissues have now been isolated

Many of the chemicals of communication found in rich deposits in the spinal cord, have receptor sites on many of the types of white blood cells – so even without direct nerve connections there must be a chemical communication process between the two systems

The key to a healthy immune response is dependent on the recognition and reaction to invading microbes – not only do the white blood cells that encounter a microbe need to know about it – they need to tell all the other white blood cells too – this needs a fully functional communication network – we know this as the nervous system

Malfunction in the spinal column could interfere with this communication network, and correction of this malfunction would therefore restore the network

Are you “fired up” to be in practice? Are you happy to be involved in Chiropractic? Are you excited to be a part of this great profession? Here’s an early morning exercise for you - Take a moment to think about how fired up, happy and excited you are - Now - notify your face!

Isn’t it great how you leave some seminars and you are fired up: ready to challenge and change the world? Then comes Monday morning and you’re back in your practice. Have you ever noticed that some of your patients aren’t as fired up as you are? And by the end of the week you’re not fired up either?

Perhaps some of us are inclined to think: “Well, that seminar obviously didn’t work!” Kind of reminds me of that occasional patient who comes back after one adjustment saying, “I’m not fixed yet!”

You see when you were at that seminar you felt like you were soaring, reaching for the heavens. You could see for miles: Your visual acuity seemed sharper than it had ever been: You were riding high on the adrenaline air currents: You could see things you had never seen before: New horizons: Places you want to travel to on your chiropractic journey. You felt like the king of the health care birds: You were the Chiropractic Eagle!

Monday morning: You soared into the waiting run of Old McDonald’s Chiropractic Farm. And there they were waiting for you: “B-b-b-back, b-b-b-back”! Isn’t it amazing how if you hang around in the Chicken Run long enough; first you start to scratch the ground a bit, then you start pecking at the ground, and before long you even start to look and sound like your patients, and the other health care birds: “B-b-b-back”! And when you’re in the chicken run it becomes hard to see over the fence; so you start to focus on the things nearby: accounts owing, unresponsive patients, difficult staff, patient numbers.

This is where I used to be: On the practice rollercoaster: Ten new patients - I’m up. Three cancellations - I’m down. Patient tells me how wonderful I am - I’m up! Patient confronting me as to why they’re not fixed after five adjustments - I’m down! Record patient week - I’m up! Quiet week - I’m down! New car - I’m really up! CAA membership bill - I’m down - “do I really have to be a member?”! This lead to the search - could it be a new technique? Maybe a new mentor? Another seminar? New potions and lotions? How can I keep that high?

There is a way to stop this regression from happening you know. You see as humans we have a God given ability that even the Eagles don’t possess. That is, the ability to see things not present with our ‘mind’s eye’, the skill of visualisation if you like. Remember, even though you may be working in a chicken run, you are a Chiropractic Eagle! Spend time each day visualising those things you saw while soaring at that seminar - what were those visions? - Clarify them, expand on them, work out the finer details. What are the views you will see and the stops you will make on your chiropractic journey towards those visions?….. Put them on paper! What are your estimated times of arrival at each destination….. write them down.

We don’t physically have wings so what kind of vehicles will you need to get you there? A DG convertible? A Gonstead go-go-mobile? A Diversified dragster? An Activatorcopter? A Hinwood Harrier Jet? A Reikemann rocket? A Mertz Mercedes? A TRT tractor?

How do we use these visualisations? Read them, see them, FEEL them, EMOTIONALISE them: EVERY SINGLE DAY! Can you see all your patients healthy and happy in your mind’s eye? Can you smell the new carpet in your dream practice? Can you hear the laughter of children in your adjusting rooms? Can you taste the satisfaction of watching another miracle unfold in your practice?

How BIG can you visualise? Now I know that I’m the only one who used to think like this: I know you don’t say to yourself: “I just need enough to get by”, “enough for me and my family”. “I’m working towards a new car”. “I’m saving up for my next holiday”. “I want to see X number of patients”….. : THINK BIG!! You should see your practice so full with patients that you have to employ associates to cope, or at least refer them to the struggling DC down the road. You should pray for so much money that you have to give half of it away. Can you see every Australian consulting Chiropractors regularly? The demand for Chiropractic being so great that it takes the Tennis Centre or maybe even the MCG to house the DG Conference?

There is another important point to realise here. Those chickens in the run. Look at them a little closer: You see they too are Eagles! They started as eaglets when they were hatched (Isn’t that just a Chiropractic belief - that we are all born with unlimited potential?). But then they were thrown into the chicken run of control, intervention, and modern sickness care thinking. They have been in the run so long they don’t even know that they are eagles any more. In fact they look at you, standing tall and proud, flexing your enormous wing span and speaking a different language; and to be honest you look strange! You sound different to Dr Turkey….. “Gobble, gobble, gobble”! You look different to Pheasant Physio, who looks so good but does so very little. Is he just a chicken in fine clothes - a clever disguise?

But you have a quest; and I believe this is Chiropractic’s ultimate potential. Your mission, should you choose to accept it. It is up to you to reawaken those Eagles within. No-one else can do it but another Eagle! If I may use Chiropractic terminology for a moment: Teach them about the incredible Universal and Innate powers they are blessed with. Release the universal and innate intelligence with your adjustments. Speak Chiropractic Eagle language. Show them the way by your Chiropractic Eagle example. Those Eagles within them will be inexorably drawn towards you and the life of an Eagle. And here’s the other great news. They will bring all their eagle-apprentice friends along with them!

There is one important ingredient that we mustn’t forget. To give the skill of visualisation POWER we require FAITH. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt over the years, it’s that you have to have faith in something. Maybe for you it is faith in science, perhaps faith in Chiropractic, maybe faith in God, maybe you only have faith in yourself, or perhaps your faith is reliant on the vision of someone else. Let’s face it, there is more unknown in the universe than there is known; and you can only have either faith in your beliefs regarding things unknown, fear of the unknown, or ignorance. The bottom line to me is that you have to decide what YOU have faith in - a conscious decision of what you believe in: To quote a text I often refer to myself: “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.” Ask yourself: What do you have faith in?

In closing: One warning! Should you choose not to visualise, reach and believe for the life of an Eagle and choose not to plant the visions of better health and a better life as an Eagle to your patients then prepare yourself for a life in the chicken run, with the “b-b-b-backs”, Dr Turkey and Pheasant Physio. Please….. come and soar with the rest of the Chiropractic Eagles!

What’s the difference between being “ordinary” and being “EXTRAORDINARY”? If you look at the word extraordinary a little closer you will see that it is just a little EXTRA than ORDINARY!

When we think about being successful (whatever this might mean to you) we find that there are certain fallacies about how others achieve success:

FALLACIES ABOUT SUCCESS

They are better looking than you…

They have more talent than you do…

Luck!

They have stepped on someone else to climb higher…

They have ripped people off in order to get ahead…

They were given success on a silver platter…

It’s easier for others than it is for you…

They were born successful…

Someone gave them a head start…

They stumbled on it…

While some of these things may be true about some people who appear more successful than you: They are not THE reasons why they are more successful!

WE ARE ALL EXTRAORDINARY!

Every person has the ability to be “extraordinary”. If you don’t believe this then you should read autobiographies of some of the world’s most loved and famous people. What you will find is that each of these people at some point regarded themselves as the least likely person on Earth to succeed. But something in that person’s life helped them to make a decision that they could, and would be extraordinary.

So being extraordinary is first and foremost a decision that YOU are going to be EXTRAORDINARY.

People who are “ordinary” have usually decided to “settle for”. If your business had two extraordinary years of growth what would this mean for the following year? If you were to decide that you couldn’t possibly sustain this growth and development, and that in future years, you just wanted to maintain things as they were then you would become ordinary!

If you were to look at other practices and compare yourselves, and decide you don’t need to stretch anymore; then you would become ordinary!

If you were to look at the services offered by many other businesses and see how much more you offered and decided that you don’t need to do anymore; then you would become ordinary!

Being extraordinary means that you create your own standards; focus on how you can improve those standards; and don’t measure yourself by other people’s standards.

The only catch to making a decision to be extraordinary is that after a while your customers expect and demand that same level of service. So, to further surprise and satisfy your patients you have to discover new levels of “extraordinariness”…

“EXTRA”

Let’s look at some of the characteristics of these “extra” things that allow you to become extraordinary:

1) They are usually repetitive: All top sports people achieve their incredible skill levels by repetition of the basic skills of their sport. Peter Daicos the legendary Collingwood footballer said that he found the more he practiced, the luckier he became!

Examples of repetitive tasks in a chiropractic practice could be the scripts and remembering to talk about chiropractic to every patient. When thirty or more patients come through your office each day the things you say and the discussions you have appear repetitive to you: But to that person it could be the only conversation they will have about chiropractic that day, that week, that month, maybe that lifetime?

2) They are usually simple and easy: Each extra little thing that adds to your level of extraordinariness is in itself probably a very basic skill. But it is the very thing that others fail to do for this very same reason.

Forgetting to greet a patient as soon as they arrive, forgetting to tell a young mother that she can bring her children and they will be looked after while the mother receives an adjustment, forgetting to find out anything about a new patient’s family and friends (and missing 3-4 immediate referrals), forgetting to explain to a brand new patient what you are going to do before you do it…

WHY NOT?

If we can become extraordinarily successful by doing repetitive and simple things then why aren’t we all millionaires?

1) FEAR: Despite their simplicity these little extras often appear hard. Remember your first “crush”? All you had to do was ring them to ask them out to that party. It would probably only take ten words to ask the question and there were only two possible replies; either of which would give you instant emotional relief. But how difficult did that phone call become in your mind: Probably difficult enough to stop you doing it! Enough to give you dry mouth, rapid pulse and sweaty palms just at the slightest sight or thought of a telephone. But: If you did overcome that fear and make that call: Remember that feeling of euphoria and energy afterwards (no matter the reply)? This is the “adrenaline buzz” of being extraordinary!

The amazing thing about that fear though; was that the only way you overcame it was by ACTION! By doing the very thing that you feared. And you were able to take that action because you got yourself to the point of FAITH: Where you were so convinced that they would say yes that you just had to ring. Or, you were so convinced that they were going to say no that you didn’t care for them any more anyway. Or, that you realized that either reply would make you feel better than you were feeling by not ringing them!

2) LAZINESS: Because these extras are simple and repetitive, they are probably the first things that we put off and ignore. To do these things means exactly what the word means… EXTRA! And let’s face it many of us don’t want to do extra if we can avoid it.

Laziness usually manifests as excuses – “they’ve probably heard it all before”, “No-one wants to listen to this health stuff”, “people are turned off by a sales pitch”, “I tried that once and it didn’t work”…

Well, on the other hand – if you don’t tell them maybe no-one else on the entire planet will either – and maybe that could have massive consequences for that person?

So, as you can see, not doing the “extras” is what holds us back and stops us from becoming extraordinary.

HOW TO…

1) Take time to reflect on the things you do each day and ask yourself two questions:

a) Am I consistently doing the little things that will allow me to become extraordinary?

b) What am I not doing, or what am I avoiding doing which is preventing me from getting an “extraordinary buzz”?

2) Allow your creative imagination to sprout wings: Start to think about “extra” things, which may appear simple and repetitive, but will add to your being extraordinary – pick one and put it into practice: Once you have mastered it move onto the next one. And if you think it didn’t work, replace it with a new one…

3) Develop your faith:

a) That you can be extraordinary

b) That by doing the “extras”, things will start working out for the better

c) That if those little “extras” don’t work you will still be in the process of becoming extraordinary

d) By understanding that if you do the possible, God will take care of the impossible!

4) Act:

a) “Fake it till you make it!”

b) “Try on” a new behavior to see if it “fits” and give it sufficient time to “wear in”.

c) Take the first step on an incredible journey which consists of continuing to take more first steps, each after the other; till you arrive at a fantastic exotic location!

Many of us spend much of our thought life thinking about what we HAVE or what we would like to have; and even what we don’t have or don’t want to have.

Whether we are thinking about our finances (“If I was rich the things I could do…”), our material possessions (“I need that toy…”), our relationships (“If he/she paid me more attention I would be happy…”), our business (”If I saw more patients then I would enjoy practice…”), our health (“I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired…”) etc.

When we are day dreaming about what we would like to have, or stressing about what we currently have , we forget that there is always something which precedes what we possess! And this is - what we DO!

It can be a depressing thought, but many personal development authors tell us that what we have and what we will have in the future are a direct result of what we have done previously and what we are going to do next! Action leads to results.

There is an even higher activity though, which precedes doing, and hence also having. And this is - BEING!

Have you ever thought about what you want to have and someone has advised you what to do. But, you just don’t seem to be able to break through and consistently DO a new behaviour. This is because you haven’t changed your BEING.

There’s times when we all wonder why two people can be taught the same procedures but get totally different results - This is because their BEING is different.

So - to make quantum leaps in our personal development, we need to make changes in our BEING! Our being is the roots of our character and personality: Our beliefs, our mission statements, our values, our visions, gifts and talents.

Who do you want to be? What will they say about you at your funeral? Are you here to serve or to receive?

Business management in the ‘80s taught people to plan what they wanted to HAVE - set goals - then work backwards to determine what they needed to DO - and this in turn would direct what the person needed to BE.

Sometimes Christian ethics teaches us that we just have to concentrate on our BEING, and God will provide for all our needs (our HAVES). This ignores the fact that whenever we get our BEING into true integrity we become inspired with things we can do - which leads to what we will HAVE, by “God’s Grace”!

Then there’s those of us that are so trapped in the DOING that we forget what we were BEING when we got inspired to DO! (read the last line again slowly!) And we can’t even remember what we are going to HAVE as a result of that DOING! We just keep on doing those things over and over into the future, because they are what we have been doing in the past.

The new business and personal development ethic is based on putting first things first - work out your “BEING”, and spend time regularly keeping in touch with that BEING. This will direct and keep your “DOING” on track. The “HAVING” will then just become a by-product of these processes, a symptom or fruit of our BEING!

There are SO many chiropractic programs and techniques available to Chiropractors nowadays – Alphabet Soup you might say. For this reason it is imperative that each DC choose programs which are going to give them real value for their money. Nobody wants to attend a program which gives them one take-home strategy which they will use on one patient a week; or worse still leave the class and never implement a single aspect of the training. Below is my list of reasons to attend Torque Release Technique based on feedback from previous graduates of what changes the most in a DC’s life after attending a TRT program…

1)Better results with the majority of your patients – so many programs tell you that they are going to help you get better results with those “problem patients”. Isn’t it perplexing how we forget about the 80% that are getting good results and focus our minds on that 10% that isn’t responding: And we’ll spend big dollars attending a program that will help us get better results with the people who provide us with a small proportion of our income!! What if you could attend a program that will convert your good results to great results – imagine what will happen when 80% of your practice is getting better results?

2)Absolute certainty that you are adjusting the subluxation which most needs to be adjusted, at that moment in time, with the correct vectors and contacts – by contrast most other systems give you a list of possible subluxations, and then you either adjust all of them or make some subjective decision as to which ones you will adjust on that visit – and then there’s a bunch of systems that place no value or priority on what needs to be adjusted (if it pops then it must have needed it) – near enough is not good enough.

3)Increased retention – Because most other systems are linear and mechanistic they don’t adapt to the change that is happening: They see patient plateau at some point in the care program – plateau is the biggest enemy of retention – TRT is non-linear and vitalistic – in other words; the adjustments adapt and evolve as the patient’s nervous system goes through plastic changes – this means that patients keep getting significant changes after each adjustment – and excited patients stay and they refer.

4)Very quick analysis system that helps to cut down the number of adjustments needed each visit while still giving the best results – It IS possible to give someone a high quality adjustment in less than 2 minutes.

5)Less physical strain on the DC’s body – many DCs are paying a personal price physically and mentally due to how hard they are working to give their patients great adjustments – TRT is very easy physically and very orderly mentally – you get to the end of the day with energy still left over for your family and interests.

6) Every DC who has ever implemented TRT to some degree has increased their practice volume, while often reducing their working hours – TRT is very helpful for DCs wanting to practice high volume.

7) It is the first analysis and adjustment system to be totally neurologically based: The indicators we use are neurological indicators, the analysis system we utilise is neurological, and the Integrator adjustment is a neurological intervention.

It is the only system that breaks Chiropractic out of a mechanistic model: Most systems talk about the nervous system in terms of the outcomes, but then regress into biomechanical speak, assessment and intervention – “I’m a wellness Chiropractor and I straighten spines” – NOT! – a straight spine does not guarantee wellness – only improved neurological function guarantees wellness.

9) It is the only system that offers a completely vitalistic application of our vitalistic philosophy – totally congruent with the 33 principles and yet current with quantum science: Mechanism is not a subset of vitalism; it is a subset of reductionism. Vitalism requires a respect for the life, spirit, energy and intelligence of human existence – does your “treatment” release human potential, or does it impose your belief of what angle a cervical curve should be?

10) Increased understanding of the emotional component of subluxation – how emotions contributes to subluxation – how subluxation impacts on the emotional component of the nervous system – and most DCs see bigger changes in patients emotional states when they use TRT.

11) Totally congruent with WELLNESS practice – many DCs say they are wellness DCs, but basically have a practice full of people who come for regular check-ups – a wellness practice can only be measured by improved state of wellbeing in the clients, not by how often someone gets adjusted – TRT DCs find that their practice members go through major shifts in their state of wellbeing.

12) The level of satisfaction with the Integrator is much higher than with most other instruments – most DCs use their instrument as an alternative to manual adjusting – when all else fails or when they feel it is not safe to adjust manually. The opposite happens when DCs use Integrators – they are usually shocked to find that they actually get better changes and feel their adjustments “hold” better when using an Integrator. And those recurring subluxations that used to be back again every visit suddenly seem to clear and no longer recur.

13) They discover a massive demographic of new patients who would never see a “bone cruncher” but love the low-force approach – Like it or not – the manual adjustment has been the vehicle with which most DCs have produced great health changes in their customers. But at the same time the manual adjustment suffers from a very poor public relations history: From comedy shows, to fanatical and very vocal cynics, to a large segment of the general populace – there is a huge number of people who question “cracking backs” as being of little therapeutic value, and of much unnecessary risk. When you use a low-force adjusting approach – you enter a new game – and you find a whole new marketplace.

14) Enjoyment, fulfilment, passion and excitement seem to happen in DCs lives. It amazes me how many DCs are actually struggling in practice emotionally – and are in a state of disappointment, boredom or burnout. We get so many phone calls and emails a few months after a TRT program with amazing stories of renewed practices, revived enthusiasm, and unexpected but well-deserved rewards…